Operation story: CV-3

Operation

Story

Previous CV-2	Next CV-4
Characters
Benny Franka Helena Jessica Leone Liskarm Miles Sylvia Woodrow Anxious Man Bank Employee Bank Manager Blacksteel Mercenary Dopey Gangster Irritable Woman Vicious Gangster Dizzy Old Man Impoverished Old Lady
Backgrounds
1A 1B 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Before operation

“

While Liskarm and Franka are in talks with the bank, Jessica realizes that Blacksteel's arrival would deal a heavy blow to the locals who already are on the verge of bankruptcy. So she decides to aid the debt-stricken Leone.

”

<Background 1A>
Anxious Man	You're gonna take out a loan from the bank? Have you lost your mind?
Irritable Woman	What's your plan then, wise guy? How do you reckon we get to Trimounts in just a few days? This clinical trial is Tibby's last chance!
Anxious Man	I'll think of some other way...
Irritable Woman	What other way? No way we're getting that kinda money without a loan!
Anxious Man	...R-Right! Didn't we get health insurance for Tibby before? That should cover serious illness!
Irritable Woman	What the hell do you think I was doing all day yesterday? I went to the bank to cash out on the insurance, but Tibby's illness wasn't covered at all!
Anxious Man	I'm begging you, please, let's not jump straight to taking out a loan, okay? Just think about your sister. She only took a small loan, but it ruined her life. Remember how much she suffered until finally...
Irritable Woman	...... Her entire family died on their way to the frontier.
Anxious Man	So calm down and think this through. There's gotta be another way.
[Liskarm and Franka witness the argument as they walk through the streets.]
Franka	Why do I see this stuff every damn time I come to the bank?
Liskarm	All the more reason for us to be here. And especially for us to attend this so-called "welcoming party," Franka. If we don't witness these things with our own eyes... we'll forever remain left in the dark.
<Background 2>
[Amidst the welcoming party for the Blacksteel...]
Bank Manager	Is Fort Barron going to tow Davistown back onto its original route all by itself?
Liskarm	This request was made directly by the regional government. The outcome will affect Blacksteel's image and credibility. We'll give this mission our all.
Bank Manager	Good to hear. We appreciate it.
Liskarm	All part of the job.
Bank Manager	Would the two of you like beer or champagne? We're out in the sticks, so you may find our selection rather unsatisfactory. All I ask is that you bear with us.
Franka	...Unsatisfactory? You're too humble. Take a look, Captain. This beer has no label on the bottle, but it's just as good as any niche brand from a craft brewery. The champagne's also high-end... I must say, excellent taste.
Bank Manager	It's important to keep some luxury items on hand when you're stationed in a difficult area. We do have to keep up morale, after all.
Franka	Is cranking up the thermostat so high that people want to crack open an ice-cold beer also part of keeping up morale?
Bank Manager	...Well, yes, as you've noted we do have a separate backup energy supply, which includes heating and electricity.
Franka	Funny how no one else seems to have this backup system.
Bank Manager	That would be due to the prescience of our first president during the early planning and development phases. An important safety consideration. The services provided by a financial institution are somewhat unique. Large amounts of money flow in and out, and be it systems or resources, it's always better to be more self-reliant. Presumably, Blacksteel built their safe house here in Davistown out of the very same concerns. Isn't that right, Miss Franka?
Franka	Oh... I'm fine with just a glass of water. I'll leave the beer for your employees. To keep up morale.
<Background fades out and in>
Liskarm	We've sent people back to Blacksteel HQ to report the repair status of Davistown's power plant. As the plant has not been restored to a state where it can support navigation, HQ will naturally have to formulate a new solution.
Bank Manager	We are very appreciative of your company's contributions to our town. However, until a solution is in place, we do have one humble request.
Franka	...What sort of request?
Bank Manager	We were hoping you could help maintain law and order here. I'm sure you've already encountered bandits on the town's outskirts. They've caused us a substantial amount of damage. Even more troubling is the fact that... ...a number of people living here are, to put it nicely, bandits themselves. To put it less nicely, they're the bandits' reserve army. We would be very grateful if you could clear them out of Davistown. Here's a list of names—
[Liskarm reads the list.]
Liskarm	Over the past few days, we've sent personnel to conduct security operations around the plate's perimeter. Based on their reports, I have little reason to believe that so many dangerous elements are operating here.
Bank Manager	There are people here with no money, yet are unwilling to put in the work to pay back their debts. How can you guarantee they won't resort to more... desperate measures down the line?
Liskarm	...If you insist. We'll look into it.
Bank Manager	You'll "look into it"? Why must you verify it yourselves? You can't take us at our word?
Liskarm	If our trust is so fragile that it's broken just by double-checking a list, then it wasn't worth much to begin with.
Bank Manager	...Do as you please, then. But if you really want to check things, be sure to be thorough.
<Background 3>
Jessica	How'd it go? Any developments on your end?
Blacksteel Mercenary	Mm. The target's already entered visual range... Seems like he's not the only one here.
Jessica	Is he working with someone?
Blacksteel Mercenary	...Seems to be someone from the plate.
Jessica	Woodrow, sir, is that... possible?
Woodrow	Anything's possible. When the government here collapsed, some young'uns with too much time on their hands formed gangs and started making trouble all over the place.
Jessica	But... what do they hope to accomplish by colluding with the bandits out in the barrens?
Blacksteel Mercenary	Jessica, they're about to disperse... Should we arrest them?
Jessica	What do you think, Woodrow?
Woodrow	Wait and see. Now's not the time.
Jessica	Then, umm... Don't do anything for now. Record where they showed up, and contact me if they show up here again.
Blacksteel Mercenary	Alright, no problem.
Woodrow	One sec. Which direction did the bandits go? I'm gonna follow 'em and have a look.
Blacksteel Mercenary	They went southeast.
Jessica	Should I come with you?
Woodrow	Nah, I can handle this myself. Head back for now.
[Woodrow leaves.]
Blacksteel Mercenary	Er, Jessica... is that gentleman someone from the plate?
Jessica	Umm, he's been investigating these bandits on his own, so he should be able to help us out.
Blacksteel Mercenary	I... I'm not sure how to break this to you, but I feel like you need a reminder. Getting cozy with the locals rarely works out well.
Jessica	Wh-Why's that?
Blacksteel Mercenary	Places like Davistown don't just go on like normal after getting reclaimed by the government. They've always got other plans on the docket, and when the time comes, the businesses, the infrastructure... even the residents will be replaced.
Jessica	Replaced? Then, what happens to the original residents? Where do they go?
Blacksteel Mercenary	I don't know how Blacksteel usually handles it, but with my last employer, we were only responsible for kicking them out. What happened afterwards was none of our business.
Jessica	How could they not care?! That's totally illegal! How could they just drive out all the locals?!
Blacksteel Mercenary	*sigh*... There's always an excuse when it comes to places like this on the verge of bankruptcy. Like, bad debts, tax investigations, security concerns...
Jessica	Debts...
<Flashback starts here>
<Background 4>
Leone	Not just me. Everyone left here is in debt. *sigh*... How do I put this? Well, I'll just give it to you straight. You asked about a guy who walked out into the snowfield earlier, right? It's probably 'cause of his debts... That kinda stuff happens all the time here. After being forced into bankruptcy, he had no choice but to...
<Flashback ends here>
<Background 3>
Blacksteel Mercenary	Jessica? Hey, Jessica! What's gotten into you?
Jessica	I... I'm heading back first.
[Jessica runs outside and drives off in a car.]
<Background 5>
[As Jessica waits for the traffic lights...]
Distant Voice	...that stubborn, good-for-nothing father of yours... starting today...
Jessica	Huh?
Distant Voice	...what nonsense are you spewing... ...let go of me...
Jessica	Is that a child's voice?!
[Jessica stops the car.]
<Background fades out and in>
Vicious Gangster	This brat sure knows how to whine. Guess he needs a gag and a good beating before he'll learn to follow us obediently—
[Jessica leaves the car and rushes to where the gangsters are threatening Benny.]
Jessica	Stop right there! Let go of him!
Dopey Gangster	And why should I? Who the hell are you?
Benny	Help! They're trying to kidnap me!
Jessica	Don't make me repeat myself—let go of the kid!
Dopey Gangster	His father's in so much debt that even selling the boy off wouldn't pay it all back. So what if we kidnap him?
Jessica	Debt? Are you here to collect debts? Wait, don't tell me you're working for the bank?!
Vicious Gangster	...Mind your own damn business. Now get outta here!
Benny	Help! Someone, save me—
Vicious Gangster	Shut your damn mouth—
[The gangster punches Benny, knocking him down...]
Benny	Urgh... *cough*...
[...prompting Jessica to fire her anti-materiel rifle at a wall near the gangsters.]
Jessica	Last warning—let the kid go, and don't make any rash moves. Otherwise, my next bullet won't just be a warning shot!
Vicious Gangster	...Tch, playing hardball, huh? Let's get out of here. No point risking our lives over this damn brat.
[The gangsters flee as Benny gets up.]
Benny	*pant*... *pant*...
Jessica	What's your name? Where do you live? I can take you back home.
Benny	I'm Benny... And you can just leave me at the diner. My dad's there every night, so I can wait for him there.
Jessica	Is your dad... Leone Theremin?
Benny	How'd you know?
Jessica	I've met him. Oh right, those two people back there were talking about his debt... Were they debt collectors sent by the bank?
Benny	Umm... At first, it was just collection letters. Then they started sending people to our house to cause trouble, and my dad chased them out. And this time, the bank probably wanted to use me to force him to pay them back.
Jessica	But that's clearly a crime...
Benny	Who's gonna stop them? There's no police here.
Jessica	...Can you show me your dad's bills? I might be able to help.
Benny	You... Are you serious? His bills are something awful...
<Background 6>
Leone	I took a gander and... there ain't a whole lot more we can do for the ol' tower this time around.
Miles	I already told you, that Laura girl did a great job tidying things up and fixing what could be fixed. But you just had to come out here yourself.
Leone	Just wanted to see if there's anything Blacksteel missed, that we could handle.
Miles	What, you think they're gonna pay off your loans if you work overtime?
Leone	...I can dream, can't I?
Miles	You're better off praying for goldbacks to fall from the sky. I told you, your only lifeline at this point is selling off all the shares you've got in the mine.
Leone	No.
Miles	I know you blew your life savings and took out loans to get those shares, but—
Leone	Hell no.
Miles	Then lemme ask you, how much debt is that payment from Blacksteel even gonna clear? I reckon it's nowhere close to even paying off the interest.
Leone	......
Miles	How about this, then? Help me with the plant maintenance. We'll be able to keep it running off the fuel that Blacksteel brought. I also happen to have a few days off. I'll pay you with the money Blacksteel gave me, and that'll buy you some time with the bank, at least.
Leone	No Miles, you earned that money. Besides, how's that any different from just giving it away?
Miles	Not like this, not like that, sounds to me like you got an excuse to say no to everything. It ain't gonna matter when you're bankrupt and the bank's stealing the shirt off your back.
Leone	...There's gotta be a way.
<Background 4>
Jessica	Beer, electricity, security deposit... Everything looks fine, and it's within the range of what I can cover...
Helena	What you can cover...? Are you gonna pay off Leone's debt?
Jessica	If possible, yes.
Benny	Dad's more afraid of owing favors than anything else. When my brother passed away, he couldn't even afford a funeral. And when people offered to lend him money, he said he didn't wanna be treated like a beggar. So he ended up following Uncle Woodrow around outside. Logging, hunting, fincatching... He worked so hard those two months that when he came back his fingers were deformed.
Jessica	And how much money did he make from all that?
Benny	About two or three thousand?
Jessica	...He'll never pay back his debts like that.
[As Jessica reads the letters of Leone's debt...]
Jessica	Wait, what... He's still one of the mine's shareholders?!
Helena	Forget it. After the mine shut down, he's had to pay all kinds of fuel fees, vacancy fees, and land management fees just to keep his shares... and he borrows piles of money from the bank every year to do it.
Jessica	Th-That's practically an open wound they're bleeding him dry with. Even if I came in to help him, there's no way he'd be able to pay it off... If he doesn't dump those shares, he's going to have nothing left.
Benny	Not happening. Dad loves that mine more than anything. He'd never dump those shares, even if we both got sent to the frontier for hard labor.
Helena	Benny, don't talk about your father like that.
Benny	......
Helena	By the way, Jessica, what's gotten into you all of a sudden? Is something wrong? Leone's still a shareholder in the mine, so the bank's not likely to make him declare bankruptcy anytime soon.
Jessica	I saw someone try to kidnap Benny today... To force Leone to pay off his debts.
Helena	Kidnapping?! They can go after Leone all they want, but to try to kidnap a teenage boy... Have they no shame?! Benny, you're staying with me for now. When Leone finds out his kid's missing, I'll give him a piece of my mind and ask him what the hell he's doing as a father!
Benny	No... Don't tell him. I don't want him to worry.
Helena	We've gone way past "making him worry." He needs to know damn well the consequences of what he's doing!
Benny	I... I still need to go home.
Helena	Gah... How can such a stubborn asshole have a kid as sweet as you?
Jessica	In any case, if he's willing to sell his shares, then that—combined with some tax rebates and preferential policies he never noticed—should be enough to cover the debt.
Helena	You sure?
Jessica	I... I can practically guarantee it.
Helena	Alright. Sounds like he just needs a good reminder to stop messing around.
<Background 7>
[Sylvia walks by.]
Sylvia	It's finally over... So, why is the main switch for the entire building located just a hundred steps from the front entrance? Is this also some great prescience from the bank's founder? ...That's ridiculous. ...It doesn't make a lick of sense.
[Sylvia turns off the bank's lights and navigates her way to the entrance.]
Sylvia	One step, two steps, three steps... There's a desk seven paces out, then make a left turn... ...Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six... Oops, bumped into the lamp. Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine... One hundred.
<Background 1B>
[The anxious man from before runs to the bank's entrance.]
Anxious Man	Excuse me.
Sylvia	...Can I help you?
Anxious Man	Is the bank still open? I... I'd like to take out a loan—
Irritable Woman	Sylvia? Get over here Sylvia, quick. I'd like to borrow some money from the bank. Can I count on you to get me a slightly better interest rate? Oh, I should never have been so mean to you...
[The man and woman noticed each other.]
Irritable Woman	What... What are you doing here?
Anxious Man	Wait, you... What are you doing here?
Sylvia	I'm sorry, you two, but we're not open for business today.
Seeing the couple stare at each other in silence, Sylvia bows her head and steps away from the bank's gates.
<Background fades out and in>
The whole way back, the thick darkness that even the street lights do not penetrate lingers with her, caressing her neck affectionately. Since her mother passed away, she's left work the same way every day, just like this.
Sylvia	...One thousand eight hundred seventy-seven, one thousand eight hundred seventy-eight. And, home.
[Sylvia knocks the door to her house.]
Sylvia	Mom, I'm home.
She waits for a long time, but only silence greets her back. After a moment, she takes out her keys, opens the door, wipes the soles of her shoes on the doormat, and leaves the suffocating darkness in the street behind her.
[Sylvia closes the door.]

After operation

“

With Woodrow's help, Jessica manages to convince Leone to sell his shares in the mine, which had been dragging him down, and helps him fill in the remaining holes.

”

<Background 8>
Woodrow	Convincing Leone to sell his shares? Not happening. Count me out.
Jessica	Why? Aren't you two friends?
Woodrow	Sure, but we wouldn't be if I forced him to do stuff like that. We've all tried talking to him about the shares, but the stubborn bastard won't listen.
Jessica	Is there really no way to get through to him?
Woodrow	Nope.
Jessica	Ugh... And here I was thinking that if only you'd talk to him for me, then...
Woodrow	Then what?
Jessica	Th-Then, I'd give you this box of chocolates as a thank-you...
Woodrow	Chocolates, huh.
Jessica	The patisserie back home gave me these when I set out. Said I'd have something to chew on whenever my mouth was empty. And now, this is the last box... I, um... I'm really, really reluctant to give this away. So, since you don't want to, forget it...
Woodrow	Mm.
Jessica	(*whispers*) Did he just respond with a grunt? That's different— If you don't want to help, then, um, no chocolate for you. Err, that came out wrong... Um... Okay, I confess, it was Helena who suggested I bring you chocolates. She said that you have a soft spot for them.
Woodrow	So she told you to come, and here you are?
Jessica	Leone's situation is looking really bad... I have to try everything I can, no matter what it takes.
Woodrow stares straight at Jessica, but she doesn't notice. She's completely lost in her embarrassment and frustration. Her head droops as she furiously racks her brain to figure out how to navigate this conversation faster.
Jessica	Sorry to keep pestering you. I'll head back for now, and think of some other way myself...
Woodrow	Just leave the chocolates on the cabinet.
Jessica	Huh?
Woodrow	Gimme a moment to pack up and wash my face. Then we're leaving.
[Woodrow walks to a tub and washes his face.]
Jessica	...He's agreeing to it? Even though I totally blew my secret? Does he care about his image with Helena that much...? Or is it the chocolates? Well, whatever, all that matters is that he agreed.
[Jessica walks to the cabinet.]
Jessica	The cabinet, the cabinet... Oh, is it this one? ...The drawer's open?
The objects in the old Sankta's drawer resemble him—simple and unadorned. A belt, a holster, and a pair of fingerless gloves. Jessica sets the box of chocolates down, and notices a few pieces of paper pressed beneath the gloves. Eroded by time, the pages have taken on a brittle, yellow complexion. Jessica knows that she shouldn't look, but can't control her urges to sneak a peek.
Jessica	Is this... a photo of Woodrow and the boss? There's another Sankta, too... and a piece of paper under the photo...
It is an identification document. The black ink is hard to make out on the brown parchment, and only a few words readily stand out.
Jessica	Camp... Collus...
Woodrow	You done putting away the chocolates?
Jessica	Oh, uh, y-yes! By the way, I...
Woodrow	Then let's get going.
<Background 9>
Jessica	Leone, your financial situation is in dire straits. If you drag your feet any longer, then... When the bank declares you unable to repay your debts, you'll be forced to declare bankruptcy. And by that point, you won't be able to save your shares or your house. If you insist on holding onto your shares, you'll be forced to sell off your house, and won't even have a roof over your head.
Leone	Plenty of people have tried to talk me into selling my shares, but you're the first to make a good case for selling my house.
Jessica	No, I'm not telling you to sell your house. I'm just reminding you of the consequences. If you don't mind, I can also, umm... What I mean is, I have some money I can give you to help pay off your loans. Even though it's no small amount...
Leone	What?! Thanks, but no thanks. I don't need your charity.
Jessica	N-N-No! I mean, I'll lend it to you! B-But, I won't charge any interest. You can just pay it back at your leisure, whenever your financial situation has improved... ......
Leone	Look, Jessica. I'm a grown ass man with both my hands and feet. I don't need a little girl half my age lecturing me on how to improve my life. I hope you never bring this up to me again.
[Leone stands up and walks away.]
Jessica	Wait... Leone, p-please, don't push me!
Woodrow	*sigh*...
Leone	What, you're out here sipping tea, Woodrow? It's already gone cold. Just take the girl with you when you go.
Jessica	Aren't you going to say something, Woodrow? You agreed to this...
Woodrow	Did I?
Jessica	Huh...?
Woodrow	All I said was that I'd come with you. So I did. Thanks for the chocolate, Jessica. Now, if you'll excuse me.
Jessica	You can't do this! At this rate, Leone's going to be left with nothing to his name!
Woodrow	So what? Try as you like, when you burn a wet piece of coal all you get is a faceful of ashes.
Jessica	How could you?! You...!
<Background 1A>
Franka	Captain, are we seriously going to go through the entire list?
Liskarm	How many doors have we knocked on so far?
Franka	Fourteen. Other than the second household, where the middle-aged man's son did in fact run off to join the bandits, the rest were all honest people guilty of nothing more than being unable to pay off their debts. The bank couldn't dig up any dirt on them, so they've resorted to using us to run them out of town... Despicable.
Liskarm	...And this is number fifteen. We'll check just one more, and then— Wait, what's going on? Why are you sitting outside?
Dizzy Old Man	My head... it's spinning...
Impoverished Old Lady	Hmph. Go sit outside in the cold, you crusty old fossil. The headache will go away on its own.
Franka	Could he have been poisoned?
Impoverished Old Lady	Lucky we found out in time, and we're both just fine.
Franka	Ma'am, I thought the plate... it should have retained its basic heating functions. So why...?
Impoverished Old Lady	After the bank declared us bankrupt, they shut off all the heating to our house. Without sunlight, it gets even colder inside. ...Why else would anyone light their fireplace?
<Background 9>
Benny	*cough* *cough*... *cough* *cough*!
[Leone enters.]
Leone	I'm back, Benny. What're you squatting in front of the stove for? Get up already.
Benny	The charcoal today is especially waterlogged. I've been trying to light it for a while now, but I can't get it burning at all.
Leone	Just look at all the soot on your face. You'd think you just crawled out of the mines... Hurry and wipe it off. It ain't a big deal if you can't get it burning. Just wait until I get back.
Benny	Dad, don't tell me you were in such a hurry this morning that you poured water directly into the stove...?
Leone	Hey, I may be stupid, but I'm not that stupid. Hand me the tongs. I'll do it.
[Leone takes the tong as the smoke from the stove blows toward his face.]
Leone	*cough*, *cough* *cough*!
Benny	You think I can't tell when you're lost in the sauce? Why are you blowing on it directly? Carl told me you can't light the stove, which is why he entrusted it to me before he left. Since when have you done it?
Leone	What else did Carl tell you?
Benny	Everything. About how you were so impatient you poured an entire pail of water into the stove to douse the flames. Not only did the coal get ruined, but the bread Helena baked became inedible. She was so mad she chewed your ear off.
Leone	When did he tell you all that?!
Benny	Who do you think left me all alone back then?
Leone	Hmph. Left you on all alone? What're you talking about? How would you even remember anything from when you were so little? All you did was sit in Woodrow's arms and tug on his beard.
Benny	...I don't believe you.
[Someone knocks the door.]
Benny	*cough*, *cough*! Who is it?
[Jessica enters.]
Jessica	Sorry, it's me— *cough*, urgh, all this smoke...
Benny	The stove's completely soaked on the inside. I've been trying to ignite the charcoal for a while now, but haven't had much luck. Give me a moment.
Jessica	No problem. I can help out too. These pieces of charcoal are completely waterlogged. Can you swap them out?
Benny	This is all the charcoal we got from the caravan.
Jessica	Then, um... how about some firewood?
<Background fades out and in>
Jessica	We can put the broken pieces underneath to isolate the moisture, then lean any thin branches against the stove to light them on fire. Then you just need to add more firewood as necessary.
[The stove lights up with the firewood provided by Jessica.]
Benny	Where'd you learn all that... On the battlefield?
Jessica	...Why do you ask?
Benny	Aren't you a mercenary?
Jessica	Umm...
Leone	It's done... Thanks for helping Benny light the stove, but... you should leave now.
Jessica	But I haven't even said anything yet... I just don't understand. Why are you so stubborn about it?
Leone	Of course you wouldn't.
Jessica	Then... help me understand? I'll never give up if you just keep sending me away.
[Leone walks to a window and lights a smoke.]
Leone	Jessica... I was abandoned here by my birth mother when I was just four years old. It was the miners here who raised me. When I enlisted in the army, I focused on learning blasting techniques so that I'd be able to help out in the mines. As soon as I was discharged, I came back and became an mining engineer. I was involved in the renovation and expansion of the mining tunnels below town, the factory above us, and even the power plant we repaired a few days ago.
Jessica	The miners back then... must've lived much better lives than they do now.
Leone	If you told me back then what Davistown would become, I'd have figured you were cursing me out.
Jessica	True... Life can be unpredictable like that.
Leone	Later, I adopted my coworker's kids. Benny... and his brother, Carl. And even later... the mine kept depreciating until all I could do was keep holding onto my shares no matter what. Like hell I'd let those damn stakeholders take my life's work and dump it for scraps.
Jessica	But there's no way the mine is ever coming back—
Leone	Just stop talking.
Jessica	I'm serious here! If you keep holding onto your shares, the bank is going to force you to pay off your debts!
Leone	...Get out of my house.
Jessica	Please, Leone. Even if you kick me out, you're going to have to come face-to-face with reality.
Leone	Alright, Benny, step out for a bit. You can stay at Auntie Helena's for a night. I'll come find you after Jessica and I finish talking.
Jessica	—Wait, you can't send Benny away!
Leone	Now you're trying to lecture me on how to be a parent?!
Jessica	Yesterday...
Benny	Just stop it already, Jessica! Not another word!
Jessica	Yesterday... Some gangsters hired by the bank went after your son.
Leone	Is that true, Benny?
[Benny hesitates for a moment.]
Benny	...Yes.
Leone's heart constricts as he looks at Benny's soot-stained face.
Leone	Why... Why didn't you tell me anything...?
Benny	Even if I did... what good would it do? Would you march up to the bank and make a scene? What would that even solve...?
[Benny runs off.]
Jessica	......
After seeing his child leave, the man who had been talking so confidently a moment ago immediately hunches his back and squats down by the stove. He picks up the tongs and carefully prods at the wood. Even though the flame is already burning brightly, a puff of black smoke still comes out and sends him into a fit of coughing.
Leone	If I sell my shares in the mine, what'll I have left?
Jessica	At they very least... You won't leave Benny saddled with debt, and they won't take your house.
Leone	First, it was Carl. After Carl left, it was Benny... Ever since I took on so much debt, I've been out working from sunup to sundown, leaving the kids at home to fend for themselves... They were in charge of keeping the stove lit, and they had to handle the finances. And Benny... was nearly kidnapped... In the end, I couldn't pay off my debts, or protect the people I wanted to protect... I'm a right bastard, through and through.
Leone smacks the stove hard with the tongs, hard enough to cause sparks to fly.
Leone	I'd rather die than bow down to those savages at the bank... Just the thought that they'd have the gall to kidnap Benny makes me wanna blow the whole damn place to bits...
Jessica	Leone...
Leone	You said earlier that after I sell my remaining shares, I'll at least be able to leave the house for Benny?
Jessica	Mhm...
Leone	But you sure did a number on my stove, just to win me over. *cough* *cough*... You weren't kidding when you said you'd do anything.
Jessica	No... I didn't pour the water in there. I wouldn't go that far.
Leone	Wait, if it wasn't you, then who?
[Woodrow joins in.]
Leone	Woodrow? What're you doing here?
Woodrow doesn't answer. He simply walks right up to the stove and sets down a heavy-looking box. Leone walks over and sees a box stuffed haphazardly with charcoal pieces.
Woodrow	Consider it an apology.
<Background 7>
Jessica	Relax, Leone. The toes of your shoes are about to tear the carpet.
Leone	Relax? That word has no place here.
Jessica	I've prepared all the promissory documents and transfer contracts, so the bank should have nothing to say. Of course... Benny helped out a lot as well. The process shouldn't take very long, and it'll all go smoothly. Would you like me to get you some water?
Leone	Nah, I'm good. The fact that I can even stand here means I'm already mentally prepared to let it all go.
Jessica	I'm really sorry about this...
Leone	Just leave me alone for a second. Now that I can single-handedly release them from those blood-sucking shareholders with the swipe of a pen, I need a moment to myself, so I can say goodbye.
[Sylvia walks toward Jessica.]
Sylvia	Jessica...
Jessica	Sylvia?
Sylvia	Y-Yes, so here's the deal. I took a sneak peek at the documents you prepared... Mr. Theremin's loan repayment is not within the scope of my job, but... There are a number of issues with your reference data... The shares are overvalued, and there are some holes that don't add up in the end. You're still short by a considerable amount... I'd appreciate it if you could call him over for me, since there's no way I can face him...
Jessica	...... No, we're not going to put that on him right now. I'll make a check out to the bank, so can you keep it a secret for me? Please?
[Jessica writes down the cheque.]
Sylvia	This much... in one lump sum?!
Jessica	It's not that big of a deal. Desperate times.
Sylvia	But, if Mr. Theremin found out... You know how prideful can be...
Jessica	...Which is why this is just between us. Nobody else needs to know. Please, Sylvia.
Sylvia	O-Okay then... Then, can I take another look at your documents?
Jessica	I only have copies with me.
Sylvia	That's good enough... Umm... There are still areas that could use some adjustment... And then, there's the tax returns... Look, these are all items that could've been written off... Thirty bucks here, seventy-five there... There's also a rather large deduction here, a full four hundred. Adding everything up, it comes out to one thousand three hundred and twenty-nine, though that's barely a fraction of the amount you have to make up for...
Jessica	You discovered all that just by casually thumbing through the documents?
Sylvia	Umm... this looks good enough. Th-Then, I'll directly report this, and say that y-you filed a brand new application...
[Sylvia leaves.]
Jessica	Finally, that should take care of the weight around Leone's neck... But he's far from the only one. ...I need to pick up the pace before Fort Barron arrives. Every person I help has to count for something... right?
<Background fades out and in>
Bank Employee	Manager, we can close Leone Theremin's case. He finally decided to sell his shares.
Bank Manager	That obstinate bastard set us back for years.
Bank Employee	He was also extremely rude when selling them, scolding us with some rather colorful language, and calling us kidnappers and so forth.
Bank Manager	But what can he do other than run his mouth?
Bank Employee	Well then, how about we pay him a direct visit next time?
Bank Manager	No need to rush. I heard someone advanced the money for him, and now he is indeed debt-free. But once his shares are sold, there are plenty others circling the mine, waiting for us to swoop in.